COLUMBIA, SC (February 21, 2014) – A Taylors woman has claimed the $1 million Powerball® prize won in Wednesday night’s drawing. She says it was her husband’s idea to buy the ticket for a chance at the advertised $425 million jackpot.

“I didn’t really want to buy one, but I handed him a $1 and he told me he needed $2 to get the ticket,” she said.

At work the next day her husband called to tell her someone from the area had won $1 million.

“I thought it won’t be us,” she said.

When she overheard a coworker say the winning ticket was bought at the Li’l Cricket on Wade Hampton Blvd., she began to hope.

She retrieved the ticket from her car’s cup holder, the corner wet from an iced tea she had sitting on it. She drove to a retailer for a print out of the winning numbers (1, 17, 35, 49, and 54 PB: 34) to be sure the first five numbers matched, and they did.

“My husband was on the phone screaming at me to sign the ticket,” she said.

Her husband hasn’t been able to eat or sleep since it happened. She has one regret.

“I wish I’d given him another $1,” she said.

Had she spent the extra $1 for PowerPlay®, the $1 million prize would be twice that.

“We’re happy,” said the husband. “We won $1 million.”

Li’l Cricket 3882 received a commission of $10,000 for selling the claimed ticket.

Since the start of the Lottery in 2002, more than one million college scholarships and grants have been awarded to South Carolina’s students. In all, more than $3.3 BILLION has been transferred to support educational programs in the Palmetto State.